02 March 2012

"You better pick your tongue up off the floor before it gets trampled on," Cade eyed the woman that had caught his best mate's attention... again. It was the same woman who had been in the bar on and off the past couple of weeks. The same time they'd been frequenting the place too.

Cade took a look at the woman, she was pretty in an unconventional way. She wore her signature leather trousers, like a second skin as they clung to the curves of her shapely bottom and her endless legs. Her eyes were the colour of malt whiskey and her hair, a wild mane of red fiery hair cascading down her shoulders. Of course, everyone knew who her friend was. Who didn't know Millie Bright Blake? The woman who had married and reformed the world famous actor Liam Blake, from being a recluse and an alcoholic into one of the most watched and desired actors in the world today.

"I'm going to talk to her," Bryan said, trying to assimilate the courage to speak to her.

"And what is it you're gonna say exactly?" Cade asked casually, taking a swig from his beer.

"I don't know, I'll think of something," Bryan said smoothing down his hair and smartening his collar.

"I don't think she's the chat up line kind of girl," Cade assumed.

"Well we'll see about that," Bryan strode towards the two women who were standing by the bar.

***

"Don't look now but Fitch is headed our way," Millie whispered to Amber.

Amber rolled her eyes and took a sip of her Moquito.

"Hi there, I'm Bryan and..." Bryan began clutching the ice between his hands.

"What on earth have you got there?" Amber said looking surprised as well as confused. She could feel Millie obviously trying to stifle her laugh.

"I wanted to come over and break the ice," Bryan said, clutching at the ice and trying to break it with his bare hands.

How cheesy. Amber thought as she watched Bryan attempt to break the ice again, "You really ought to stop doing that. I get it. Besides, you don't want to incur frostbite."

"What are you doing here, you look lost?" Bryan asked, "When you should be with the angels in heaven."

Amber held her hands up towards him, she had had enough of the chat up lines, "Look, I'm sure you're a nice guy but really, chat up lines? Do you actually think chat up lines will actually get you some where? It repels me, it makes me think you're a sad and pathetic man. I'm really not interested, okay? If you'll excuse us, we were having a drink." Amber turned around and spoke to Millie.

"That was really mean Amber, I think you could have really hurt his feelings with that one," Millie said seriously.

"Are you kidding me?" Amber exclaimed, "With a chat up line like that? Please."

Millie looked at her friend, "You really need to open up your mind to the possibilities Amber, not every man you meet is going to turn out to be Dan. You might have walked away from a really sweet guy."

"Sweet? You may see sweet but I see sickly. What is it that I'm putting out there? Maybe I have 'Mug' written on my forehead or something," Amber said.

"I said all that and all you got was 'the sweet bit'?" Millie offered, "You need to open your mind to the bigger picture hun."

"Yeah, thanks!" Amber said, rolling her eyes, "Coming from the woman who's married to sex symbol Liam Blake? God, life is so unfair!" Amber stamped her feet.

"Actually not only is Liam a sex symbol, much to my disdain, he is also an Oscar nominated actor and ohmigod Abercombie is headed our way!" Millie exclaimed.

Amber turned around and Abercombie was standing in front of her.

"You obviously make it a habit by stomping on people's hearts, I gather? So, why don't you listen and I'll speak," Amber heard Abercombie say, "My friend with the ice, his name's Bryan and he's liked you as much as the next girl. He has passed up on women who have better manners and bigger personalities, in favor of you. He obviously sees something in you, that none of us see. He's gone to wash his hands of you but I don't think it'll stay, he's pretty adamant about you. He's a great guy - minus the chat up lines and he'll treat you like a princess. Here's his number, it's up to you what you do with it."

Cade put the scrawny piece of paper on the bar's counter in front of Amber and made his way back. The sound of Amber's voice stopped him.

"Why are you doing this?" Amber asked.

"Simple... Bryan's a good guy and sometimes the good guys need to finish first," Cade said and walked away.

Amber looked at his fleeting figure and then down at the paper in her hands. So, Fitch's name was Bryan Peerson.

"So, what you gonna do?" Millie asked.

Amber looked at the paper in her hands and then at her good friend Millie, "I don't know... I really don't know."

"Seems like an honourable gent, especially coming to the defence of his mate... says a lot about a guy," Millie said.

"I think I like Abercombie over Fitch - but what does that say about me?" Amber said, turning around to look in the direction that he left.

***﻿

"Why does she keep looking over here for? She made herself clear she wasn't interested, so why the hell does she keep staring at me?" Bryan said, onto his fourth beer.

Both him and Cade had gotten a table and were milling away the night. They'd been approached by several women who'd stayed and gone, mostly gone out of sheer boredom. Conversation wasn't exactly tittilating. Cade wasn't in the mood and neither was Bryan, if you could call him being in any mood. All he seemed to be talking about was 'that woman'. Even Cade hadn't gotten the name of 'that woman'.

"I'm getting out of here, I've had enough," Bryan said, picking up his beer and rinsing the last of it.

"Yeah, Saturday," Cade said watching Bryan go. Cade turned his attention to the surroundings, the bar was just warming up but he didn't exactly want to stay in a bar by himself, so after ten minutes of looking at the label of his beer bottle, he decided to head out. It was Summer in London, London was London to him but he liked it especially in Summer. Everyone was a little more care free and less guarded. He opened the door and stepped out into the warm Thursday night and smacked into the 'heart breaker'. He hadn't spotted her as she appeared out of no where and he was too late in catching her as she fell backwards on to the pavement.